As should be apparent to those skilled in the art, local, state and federal agencies are responsible for trimming roadside flora to keep vegetation from encroaching upon a roadway and, thereby, interfering with passability of the roadway. Presently, when highway workers are tasked with clearing roadside vegetation, they typically rely upon a vehicle with a crane, boom, or similar apparatus so that workers may reach vegetation at specific heights above the road surface.
In one known example, a vehicle with a workman's bucket connected to an extendible arm or boom (colloquially known as a “bucket truck” in art parlance) assists with clearing vegetation above a height that is not otherwise easily accessible from ground level. A disadvantage with this approach lies in the fact that applicable safety guidelines for operation of such vehicles requires that the vehicle be secured before the boom with an operator-occupied bucket may be deployed. Moreover, in order to move the vehicle from one location to another along the roadway, applicable safety regulations require that the operator must dismount physically from the bucket and/or the bucket must be physically secured in a lowered position. In order to secure the vehicle, the vehicle must be stopped so that the wheels can be secured (e.g., by placement of suitable chocks to prevent inadvertent rolling movement). In addition, pontoons are often extended laterally from the body of the vehicle to provide lateral support and prevent tipping while the boom is manipulated by the operator who occupies the bucket.
While this method has proven effective, one significant drawback with it is that the vehicle must be secured periodically at relatively short distance intervals along a roadway to assure that the workers are able to cut the vegetation safely. Moreover, as noted above, the operator must physically dismount from the bucket and/or the bucket must be physically secured in a lowered position before the vehicle is able to move to another location along the roadway. As should be apparent to those skilled in the art, this continual periodic stopping and securing of the vehicle from one location to another along a roadway adds considerably to the time needed to clear vegetation adjacent to the roadway.
A need therefore exists for a mobile unit that would reduce the total time (and hence cost) required for clearing vegetation adjacent to and above a road surface. It is towards fulfilling such need that the present invention is directed.